@@TheJoyofVinylRecords the only time I did it again was a record that I already had( on CD). I purchased the sealed example stuck it on the shelf and there it will remain: A Schrodingers record.
@@MrAustrokiwi This is the only reason I will buy a sealed record again. If I never plan to open it, then I will never find another broken or warped record. I actually purchased 2 sealed Ratt albums this weekend that were both damaged when I opened them. Big time bummer...
There are two legitimate reasons to add mass to a head shell 1/ With a very light cartridge it may not otherwise be possible to get the correct tracking force 2/ with lightweight tonearms and a low compliance cartridge extra mass can help. In this case it's not to add to tracking force, but to get the correct tonearm resonance otherwise the bass and tracking can be compromised.
@@TheJoyofVinylRecords Just bought two Oasis albums. They were so popular during my college years I ignored them. Now they remind me of college and I realise just how good they were.
Ahhh! The old coin on the head shell! LOL! I remember doing that in high school!! Thanks for the many tips! I always check my records, but the not buying sealed is a great perspective on the practice! I also was never a big fan of Metallica until more recently. Their black album got me interested and I now enjoy many of their older ones! Hope you are enjoying your summer!
It's been hot up here, Glenn! Not complaining as I always can't wait for the winter to end, but it's been sweltering and humid. It was the Black Album that I bought her. She loved poking fun at me when she realized I enjoyed it.
I totally get going to a record store, browsing, not buying and feeling like a bandit … it just feels wrong. For me, the biggest mistake I could make would be to purchase a record just to purchase and own it but to then never really listen to it. I try to listen to at least one side of my records once a year.
I went the opposite way. I loved def Leppard back in the day when I was 15 and Hysteria came out. Now i really don’t care for them at all. “High ‘n dry” is still a great album though and there are a couple of good songs on “Pyromania”.
I bought vinyl all through the 80s in the UK. The only sealed records I saw were imports, all the UK albums and 12"s were out on the shelves unsealed. Now I'm seeing sealed 80s albums up for sale. I'm assuming shops unsealed them as a matter of course and I visited many different shops every week independents, chain (HMV etc) and Woolworths, Boots and such.
Thank you for this video! Not everything has to do with COLLECTING. There are other mistakes as being insecure about your musical preferences, buying a lot of records mainly because they are cheap, getting in the trap of serieses, listen to snobs with their „must haves“ (there is no such thing). Keep your collection classy and personal! - Greetings from Berlin, Harry
However, the paradox is that back then more of them enjoyed music (even with coin on the cartridge) than today and sellers didn't want to sell us as much "audiophile" nonsense as they do today. Today, many people have forgotten how to enjoy music and they looking for faults in their hi-fi systems. But why could we enjoy listening when we were young, even if it was just a small transistor radio? We didn't cared about the bass, can you hear the cymbal, etc. OK I know today it's the same. You know that story when two dads philosophizing over a multi-ten thousand dollar hi-fi system if a power cable ($$$) should be replaced, while in the corner of the room their daughters are having a great time listening to music on their cell phones.
How about this one? Bought a brand new album, sealed. correct label on record. not correct recording. completely different group! Years later( last month) went to play it. Forgot about the issue! LOL! was so mad. Now I need to find me a new copy of Styx-Pieces of Eight!
I am glad I am not the only one. Bought the 2nd Its a beautiful day lp, examined the disk at the store, it was in great condition. Went to play it a few days later, it was a fairly rare BB King record. So be sure to check the label...
I'm 54 and for the "record", the first two records I ever bought with my 'own' money was Def Leppard - Pyromania and Quiet Riot - Metal Health; I still own them. It was what my friends and I were listening to. If I'm being very honest, my very first album was a gift I requested; Billy Joel - Glass Houses, but I was probably in the range of 10-12 and had not yet entered high school or discovered metal. In between those records, from my Uncle (my father's youngest brother) I received Back in Black, Zep IV and In through the Out Door. In high school, Motley Crue and eventually Iron Maiden would follow. Then the classic rock rabbit hole of Black Sabbath, Led Zep and The Doors. Grunge was my high water heyday. My listening is much more diverse these days; lots of indie, folk, rock (and all of the combo / derivations), jazz, metal, stoner rock, etc. All to say, at the time I to was terribly anti-80s sound and very judgmental of a lot of 80s music that wasn't hard rock. I still say much of it is plagued with 80s production but I've definitely since embraced some solid records and genres from back then that I wouldn't have at the time. Cheers!
I'm with you. 56 here and I couldn't stomach much of the music of the 80s back then. I was a 70s fan, and even enjoyed a lot of the alt rock of the 90s. Now I find myself looking back at the 80s with new ears and a bit of nostalgia and embracing some of it.
Re buying vintage sealed records: There are also vintage re-wraps of damaged records. I encountered a couple of those! I've been digitizing Exotica / Space-Age LPs from the 1950s and 1960s. An original sealed record is like a holy grail for me. When I do purchase a sealed record from Discogs or Ebay, as part of the purchase and after payment, I request that the seller open and inspect the LP before shipping it to me. That way if the record is damaged it saves us both the hassle of a return. If you're a collector who wants to keep the LP sealed, then that's a different story.
My local record shop sells both new and used records. They have a bin for used records that were too damaged to sell at a higher price, all these records are $2 NZD. I bought a 3 records from the bin and all the records had small scratches that didn't effect playback or the recording itself. The only problem was sleeve damage which was fixable with a little bit of glue and chucking them in a sleeve held them together better. Very happy with my used record purchase.
Oh does the relationship part of your video hit home for me. I had a kick ass system and over 500 LP's back in the mid 80's to late 90's, and I was just starting to get into CD's. When I got divorced in 99, my ex had a lawyer and unfortunately I had an idiot, and the judge simply handed over my entire system and music collection to my ex for her "emotional support". It took me 10 years of searching and collecting, but I was finally able to recreate the system I had "back in the day". Marsh P2000 Preamp, Marsh A200S Amp, Bang and Olufsen B4002 Turntable, Nakamichi RX-303 cassette deck, playing through Martin Logan Sequel II electrostatic speakers. Perhaps my weakest link in the chain is my Akai 1730 reel to reel that I was able to hang onto. At the same time I've been building up my vinyl, reel to reel and cassette tape library, and while I still have a long way to go, my ears are happy once again. I just found your channel and you have taught this old dog some new tricks and just wanted to say thanks for the ejimication. It's the simple things we can overlook that make big differences in the music we listen to. If you're ever in Rochester NY check out The Record Archive. I can easily spend hours in there browsing.
That's a great system you managed to rebuild! Sorry you had to do that though. Does the Bang and Olufsen platter have that cool design it was famous for (the lines)? And thanks for the tip about The Record Archive!
@@TheJoyofVinylRecords Yes it's very sleek and linear in design. Besides playing and sounding great it looks great. It had an issue with the tracking sensor, but there's a YT'er (Beolover) that3D prints an LED conversion kit to replace the old incandecent.
Haha that's funny. As you started off talking about the first or second mistake, it reminded me of putting the coin on the headshell of my turntables not knowing any better. I just got back a week ago from Houston where I'm selling my dad's house down there. The house is a nice two-story four bedroom house, but it's more or less become a leftover storage place for family members that didn't take something with them as they moved through the years. Being legally blind, I can't exactly get down there very often and do a lot. I've been wanting to get down there for many years and try to find my 400 LPS that seemed to have disappeared. Personally, I think my sister threw most of them away when she lived In the house for about a year back about 10 years ago. Anyhow, I was able to find about 50 to 60 of my albums. I did not expect them to even play all the way through much less sound good. Being left in a house since the 1980s and then being in a unair-conditioned house (when nobody was living there) for decades ddn't leave me with much hope they would sound good. And didn't exactly take the best care of them in my teenage years because all you had to do was go buy another one if one got ruined. That mindset did not help me out. I was surprised that most of them are decent sounding with many of them sounding excellent still. The heat did not warp them. And about 20 of those LPs I found were laying flat and not standing up. I still can't believe they weren't just globs of melted wax. But here's the kicker! When I found the Acoustic Research. AR-3 speakers I didn't even think were there anymore, along with some other high-end speakers my dad had bought and used with his McIntosh equipment, I brought those back. They definitely need some work because I know I blew the AR-3 woofer on one speaker back in the 1980s. I actually brought back eight speakers that were from the 1970s through early 1980s. They all need some work (except one pair) I'm sure as well as recapping and you name it. But to find those heavy, classic speakers down there was the icing on the cake. If I had had half a brain back in the 1980s, I would not have been jamming on those speakers the way I did and I would not have blown any of them. Plus they would have been up here where I live today a long, long time ago. The stupidity of our youth, I guess... 🙂 Brian in Fort Worth 🎶
Cheers Brian! A good friend of mine lives in the Fort Worth area - Roanoke. I so wish I had the old equipment from the 80s. Back then if something was replaced the old one went to the dump. Kick myself for some of the things I tossed out - like old speakers, etc. That's awesome about the records you were able to bring back!
@@TheJoyofVinylRecords Roanoke is not far away from where I live at all. I know exactly where you're talking about as far as where the city is. It makes me cringe sometimes thinking back to what I did with old gear and things that I wish I had today haha. I guess every generation thinks back to what they would have done had they known when they were younger 🤔☺️
Lol! I think I've made most of those mistakes myself. Sharing these with everyone else will hopefully help the beginning collector. There's no wisdom without making and learning from mistakes. It's also part of the fun in this hobby.
A visual inspection for warps, scratches on used records only goes so far, it depends on what needle/stylus is used by previous owner. A chipped one can give awful sound when played on a record. Undoubtably we want to belong ,and that will veer you away from something you secretly liked ,but the group you were friends with, did not. Experience gives you confidence to be yourself. As for sound, it matters what sounds a person is capable of hearing. We all did the coin on headshell thing because we did not know better,we were just enjoying the music. My own personal cringe was when I was raving about a good sounding record player. I turned on, put the record on and said to my friend listen to this sound.Turned up to maximum Welll the most tinny sound came out, and very low(cringe). My wife said" Are the headphones supposed to be plugged in" (double cringe.)
I did the penny on the tonearm too, never changed my stylus, and never even cleaned my records, quite glad I no longer own too many of the records I bought as a teenager 🙈🤦♀️ Had the relationship music collection splitting too, that was fun, only difference was it was a big cd collection, not vinyl 🥴
My biggest mistake was repairing album sleeves with strips of sellotape. I did this when I was a teenager, so many years later I've discovered the sellotape has come off leaving an ugly brown stain that I can do nothing about. Nowadays I use pritt stick.
I was always good for $75 and a 9"-a foot tall stack of records at the local stores... Used to be a store that had some records for $3, no inner sleeve that were in better shape than the titles I already owned...bought them, put sleeves in, life was good...
Sealed records from long ago. I've had good experiences and bad. Several years ago I bought a copy of Steely Dan's "Pretzel Logic" from 1974 on Amazon. Bad mistake. When I got it I could tell that the shrink wrap had shrunk. I couldn't even play it because it was so warped. I didn't send it back because of the headache. Have a good Sunday.
I too, early on, was not a metal or Metallica fan...until I saw them live at the ampitheatre in Raleigh, NC, back in about 94 or 95. That was it. That ended it! If you EVER get a chance to see them live, buy the ticket and take the ride. That is one of the top three or four live bands I have ever seen, and I'm 56 years old. I've seen hundreds of bands. Welcome to the club, finally!
They were actually up here in my neck of the woods at Gillette Stadium earlier this month I believe too. Maybe next time around - from one 56 year old to another, cheers 🍻
I'll only buy sealed records put out in the last 20 years. I've bought 40 or so and only had one problem. I've had more problems with new issues than that. Another mistake I've made a couple times is not check the label to see if its what's supposed to be the sleeve, I'd scan the condition and that's that. Oh and I'm new here, good stuff.
My first "big boy" system i bought in 1979 from Lafayette, speakers, receiver & TT. Cost me almost 1k which was big money and took me almost a year to pay off from layaway. I must have done something right because my vinyl survived relatively intact. Unfortunately, when i went in the Army, it was sold to a neighbor for about $500.00. I wish i still had it.
Took me a year to pay for it. I smelled like grass clippings and yardwork all summer. And shoveling snow all winter. I looked it up as well and couldn't believe it either.
“Catalog Knowledge” - believing and trusting marketing claims without due diligence. Biggest regret - well intentioned record care best practices that harmed records in the long run. I dream of a class action suit against Discwasher, Mobile Fidelity, and other brush and solution record cleaning products. They do more harm than good to this day! (Kids, never wet clean records without a vacuum or ultrasonic cavitation cleaning machine…)
I swear by the Record Doctor products and a distilled water rinse in the Spin-Clean after. I don;t miss those days of the Discwasher - and I used it religiously back in the 80s
My biggest mistakes include cleaning fluids - such as 1970's Disc Washer and Ball space age spray lubricant. The first would form into a gel, build up and drop on the LP and harden. The spray lubricant left an audible film - perhaps I didn't apply it correctly.
im fairly new and made the first mistake on my first visit to a kind of open market of used vinyl, i bought 5 records and 2 were not having problems, i did kinda fix most of them but one was super warped and super damaged, and if i looked at it i would not buy it for sure... luckily my friends dad gave me the same record in perfect condition for free so i kinda got away with it, but now i know my mistakes and i will probably repeat it :D
Another interesting video. Is there a definitive source or discography for pressings and recordings? I want to be more selective with the vinyl or I might as well stream. The other week someone demonstrated mono pressing and a stereo of the same song and the mono was so alive and breathing air and whetess the the stereo recording played directly after was lifeless and did not bring the music alive. I would like to collect some Billy Joel and was wondering which particular pressings would be good to look out for? I was told not to just buy off Amazon etc but to be more selective of the particular recording and edition etc
Hi Charles. Discogs.com is a great source for identifying a pressing, and probably the best one out there at the moment. It's not 100% accurate but it will help identify a very high percentage of what is out there. You can search for Billy Joel and drill down on the various pressings (there will be A LOT with reissues and all over the years, so it can be overwhelming). Comments from users can also assist in identifying decent pressings.
i would love to change my cartridge every year but at £3,200 that is beyond my reach. So a lesson learned is 'yes i can afford to buy it at the time but can i afford to regularly replace the cartridge even with a part exchange contract'?
If you mean that you need to replace the whole cartridge on a MC cartridge because the diamond/stylus is worn? There is stylus retipping services. Just send it in and I guess that it should be more affordable than buying a new one! Good luck!❤
Back in the '70's, The Tonight Show's band leader Doc Severinsen advertised a product called Sound Guard that supposedly protected ones records against wearing out. I Sound Guarded all my favorite LPs from about 1976 onwards. It worked! Well, maybe. My old Wings, Genesis and The Jam LPs still sound great today. I can't be sure that just keeping them clean may have produced the same result. Side note-- there's no way in heck I would pay $65 for a used record (just buy the download) and I think that's the difference between a music lover and a record collector.
I just got burned this week on a used record that was sold as NM. I will say it wasn't the seller's fault. The record did look NM on the surface. I suspect it had substantial groove damage from being played on a bad setup for years.
Snobbery is sooo real I made 2 big mistakes when getting back into buying vinyl #1 bought records for a ridiculous amount money that I thought I could resell for more (not a single offer even at 50% discount) #2 bought records I desperately wanted for a lot of money. I since then saw both types for under $5. There is no correlation between quality and price.
The only way to properly check a second hand album is PLAYING IT before you buy it. As most “damage” to albums is hard to see. I have pristine looking (even with my iPhone flashlight on it) vinyl that sounds crap with noise, pops, clicks etc. and albums that have clear scratches or whatever that sound perfect @The Joy of Vinyl Records
@@TheJoyofVinylRecords that is mandatory in my opinion when selling used vinyl. I live in a relatively small town here in The Netherlands with about 100.000 people. Fortunately we have 5 excellent second hand (and new) vinyl stores and all have listening equipment.
A big mistake I keep seeing in a record collectors group is buying very expensive new pressings and expensive reissues (most newbies) and then playing them on a cheap nasty system and then being told I’m a hardware SNOB! I’m 64 been buying records since I was 8, I def know what I’m doing and the only really stupid thing I’ve never done up till now is purchase a RECORD CLEANER! Recently got a SPINCARE and already am noticing a hell of a difference to old albums, even a 1958 Nat King Cole that my mother has sounded crisp and fresh amazing really…PLUS.. I’ve noticed much let crap being scrapped on my stylus.
My cartridge is a vintage Pickering with the original stylus. It came with the turntable that I bought used from a guy selling stuff for his dad, with no idea how much use it had. But I’ve kept it because it’s a very nice cartridge with a hard to find stylus. I’ve wanted to replace it, but can’t decide what route to take in doing so. What are your thoughts on aftermarket replacements for vintage styli versus getting an original stylus retipped?
Wow. That is a classic cart noted for its high quality. Jealous. I wouldn’t go the retip route but would instead replace it. I dont know particular Pickering you have but there are a few available aftermarket. If you can find a replacement that would be ideal.
@@TheJoyofVinylRecordsIt’s a Pickering XSV 3000 cart with a D3000 stylus! Best part? Got it and the turntable (a Pioneer PL-7) for only $90 total! I’ll have to take a look at aftermarket options again. I’ve definitely seen them around. Just feels like a shame go from an original Pickering to a knockoff. But it’s probably cheaper, and less risk of losing/damaging my original by shipping it to a retipper!
Mistake #1 is sometimes hard to avoid. I am like you with decades of collecting and know what to do in a used record store but I always find the lighting inferior or just bad and inspection is hard to do. I still continue to get home with that used record and when I see it under my track lighting which is focused on my TT that’s when I see the issues. Most times it is just surface light scratches or maybe loads of dust but every now and then it’s worse. Thems the changes we take. Usually it’s only the $10 or less bunch so not too painful. One thing I do know is when buying used 60’s , 70’s lps on quality old labels (Polygram, Capital, Decca) and others the record can look bad and yet play fine. Not true with newer pressings. Found an OG UK 1966 Jerry Lee Lewis “Live in Hamburg” from 64’ and it looked questionable but had that OG label so I brought it home. Wow sounds amazing and only slight sparkling ✨. I also use a mid level high end system so it picks up every thing.
I actually had a bad experience last week - looked great but had groove damage. 48 year old record. It fortunately inexpensive. You’re so right - it’s the chance we take.
I keep one of those small olight flash lights on my key chain. If a record looks good under the store lights I hit it with the flashlight. Sometimes fingerprints, scuffs and scratches appear that were not visible.
Greetings ☕️ Yup,if you’ve been in this game (it’s been a looong time for moi’) you’ll eventually come across everything you’ve stated . You and yours have a great weekend 🍻
The terminology surrounding music formats has always fascinated me. Specifically, I've often wondered why people insist on saying 'vinyl records' when, in fact, the correct term is simply 'records.' The addition of 'vinyl' seems redundant, as if clarifying the material composition of the medium is necessary. But when did this linguistic trend begin? Was it a marketing ploy to distinguish analog from digital formats? Whatever the reason, I find it quite curious that we've adopted this phraseology. For me, it's simply a record - a timeless vessel for music that transcends the need for extraneous descriptors.
Good question. I have no idea. I grew up calling them records too. I use it now when writing so it’s easier to find it online if someone searches for it”vinyl records”.
@@TheJoyofVinylRecords well 1) records have been made of other materials (eg shellac) and 2) the term record has on-and-off been used to refer to albums/singles (eg 'have you heard their new record' 'yeah I bought the cd'). & it's not like albums really come as a set of discs in book form anymore, but that term stuck around
I am a huge 80's music collector. Own about 60% of 80's Top artists on CD and own 80% of Billboard singles on 45 RPM format. I can relate to the fact that some bands I disliked when I was younger but now I do love them. I do own every single album released by a lot of 80's bands, even if the album is not from the 80's decade. Am I crazy? Maybe! Lololol
I am wondering if you Use The CQ wireing setup. if not and you find your self hearing scratches and pops. The Cq or quad wireing setup will make you realize that most of what you thought/think of as mistakes are not really a mistake. all you need to do is swap your red/ wire wire your choice of wire and move the ground wires tho that channel. I connect both Ground/Negative wires together that way, you can /I can just move them together in one. you will take notice that there is an empty channel on mono tracks. which holds the Scratches pops, and etc. you can then edit out or keep the empty track. I often keep a copy of both so that way if somneone wants to hear what I have for evidence in what I have as for proof. I can show them. I change out my stulus these days, every Lp or Sis 45 rpms records this depends on if I copy/play bth sides of the disks. another item to consider, : what turntable and stylus you use. the Zenith 2g Can wear slower than a Pyle PLTTB1. IE the AT -95E stylus upgrade vs stock. I never look at what pressings a person buys as a mistake. I just, wonder why New pressings are not pressed as they used to be pressed! the sound has gone from the once known sound to.... NM... vs Sealed? I buy Sealed disks once in A blue moon... like one every Ten Years! Mike Kenedys Louisiana Lp and andy Kim's : How'd we ever get this way.
Near my house there’s a Record Store and I always buy Used Records it’s mostly prog rock i buy like - Black Oak Arkansas - - Badger - - Budgie - - April Wine - etc… and I look at them before buying them and they looked brand new not a scratch or fingerprint nothing and I’m like “ this is used ? “
Yep. I used to be a 'snob'. If everyone else loved something, I wouldn't listen to it. The same went for TV shows. I figured it wasn't worth my while. Now, I look back and realize that (in some cases anyway) the reason 'everyone else liked it' was because it really was good! (DUH) AND, the sealed VS near mint: You are absolutely correct. A NM record means someone has at least looked at it. Or even played it once. I recently purchased a 52 year old record in a Thrift Store that was still sealed. (YAY!) I got it home and debated on opening it or not. It wasn't valuable, I just hesitated. Eventually I relented and opened it. Don't you know that there was a scrap of paper pressed into track 2 on the second side, making it unplayable. UGH! Lesson learned, sealed is NOT always better. And in this case I couldn't just bring it back and get another (unless I invented a time machine first of course).
If you do invent that time machine let me know. There's a bunch of things I want to do with it 😂 And I was the exactly the same with TV shows. To this day I've never watched the X Files because everybody else was so I assumed it had to be bland. I now know I was wrong, but I have yet to go back to watch it.
@@TheJoyofVinylRecords OMG, X-Files! Hah! I was exactly opposite. I really got into that show when it first came out on the recommendation of a co-worker. I really loved it until it became popular, and it was huge. That's when I stopped watching because of course, they started to make episodes to please the general population, and I thought it got ridiculous. My 'show that I never watched because it was popular' is Seinfeld. Everyone raved about it and told me it was right up my alley as far as humor goes. Never watched it. Ever. But lately my wife has been watching reruns and I have to admit, that, yep, I missed out on a pretty funny show, and probably would have had fun discussing the episodes at work the next day. Live and learn I guess.
But diamonds are forever! I have to start keeping a stylus log. I usually try to do it once a year, as well. Thankfully, I have never had to mix my record collection with a girlfriend's. The perks of being unattractive, haha. The funny thing about Def Leppard is you were not the only collector passing over them. Remember when those were plentiful dollar-bin records? I should've scooped them up. I have come to like them a lot more listening to Joe Elliot's excellent SiriusXM show.
I have wasted way to much money on used albums that I have inspected before buying that were borderline and took a chance on. Also if the cover is bad, won't buy it anymore. Has to be in near mint minimum and a decent cover for me as now. My wife loves going to record stores and will bring me a stack that I have to go through each one and cull out the bad ones, can't really complain, but its a pain sometimes.
That's sweet of her. My son will sometimes run across records at a yard sale somewhere and send me pictures to see if there's anything I want him to grab. I usually decline not being able to inspect them personally, but , like you with your wife, I really appreciate the thought 🍺
I made the mother of all embarrassing mistakes. I left behind 2 sealed copies of The Beatles and Frank Ifield with the Beatles on the cover in the late 1970s. $5 each. Someone else bought it. They sold for $40K each. I think about it every day. Can't figure it out to this day.
My mistakes: -- I always chased sound quality, but did not know that no two pressings sound exactly the same. And in many cases, the sound quality can vary wildly. Growing up, there was no eBay or discogs, etc. So I would go into Korvettes or Sam Goody, and purchase what they had. Those were my only choices. There was no where, locally, to purchase used records. I saw the imprinted scribbling in the wax on the run-off section of the record (between the last song and the label). I did not give it much thought, because there was no one to ask. So I made mistakes, owning mostly lousy sounding pressings. But what other choice did I have? To a significant degree, finding great sounding pressings is still an ordeal. I find visual gradings by the sellers to not be much help, because it is impossible to see how a record will sound. Of course, you can see when a record is a mess. But any shiny, clean record can sound amazing or can sound lifeless. Two visually mint records can sound completely different. In fact, side 1 can sound heavenly, and side 2 can sound dull -- on a single pressing. -- I never dialed in the tone-arm or cartridge on my Technics' turntable. It was pre-installed by the store. As far as I was concerned, nothing else was necessary. I knew that adjustments could be made. But I neither realized how important those adjustments were, and I assumed that the manufacturer (or store personnel) knew what they were doing. Even with the above issues, I loved every minute of my records -- all of them, playing them on my Sony receiver with my turntable that was probably not dialed in too good. Now, I find it tormenting to listen to anything other than excellent sounding pressings. That curse has left me with a rather small record collection. But the best of my collection raises the hair on the back of my neck. I think I had more fun when I did not know any better. But when I listen to my best sounding pressings, it is heavenly. For people that spend a briefcase of cash on a turntable, tone-arm, cartridge, phono-amp, and the rest... you are getting only 50% to perhaps 80% of your stereo's potential. With the hard to find amazing sounding pressings, your stereo will sound like never before. But then you might be doomed like I am.
I forgot to mention: In the past 15 years, I wasted money on heavy vinyl and half speed masters. It is all marketing gimmicky. I have never heard one that sounds right. All of my best sounding pressings are normal weight, regular pressings. And when I speak to the other audio enthusiasts at my local high-end store, they agree.
I have to agree on the marketing. I half a few half speed masters and not one really wows me. A great, well-cared for old pressing will always sound better.
What a great video. I am new to your channel and I enjoyed it. I have always had a very good experience buying vinyl on ebay. Never had any issues except within the last six months or so. This has happened to me a lot on ebay lately and the issue is this. I always look for albums that are in VG+ cndition or mint or near mitn on ebay. And I have maybe bought about 13 records since the beginning of the year. The seller says VG+ or Mint in the listing. So, I say gret I will buy it. So, I receive the record in the mail and guess what???? The Record is not VG+, near mint or mint, it is good. All I hear is a ton of pops, clicks and static and crackly noises, so I contact the seller and if the record can be returned, I return it which is great, but, this has been happening all the time in the past 6 months, so I put a hault on buying anymore, because it is very frustrating. I wonder if there are others that this has happened too. Especially when a seller says, Visually graded" I won't buy it because a record that looks mint to the naked eye does not mean it is, You have to play it to find out.
Hi Richard! Just had it happen to me this week. I bought what was supposed to be NM from a seller. Good seller and I'm not blaming them - the record looked really good. But when played it was horrible. Must have been groove damage from the past - the record was 45 years old. Another record last week was listed as NM - not sure what they were thinking - even visually inspected it was VG at best. C'est la vie.... 🍺
I’m 62. I hated Metallica until recently. Now I regret all these years of not wanting to give the LPs a spin. As the coin on the stylus cartilage goes, us older people have done it multiple times.
If I am buying used records and don't care how they sound do you still inspect them? I don't, but now I am wondering if I should. The stores I go to I know the owners and they are cool guys who are as passionate about records as me.
I do inspect them all, My big concern with not doing so (sound aside) is the chance of it being extremely dirty and damaging my stylus if I didn't at least clean them.
Anything you did that seems stupid or ignorant before the internet was around needs to be taken with a grain of salt. Knowledge was so much harder to come by in those days!
Why are you surprised records last long when you don't change the stylus? When the diamond wears down, it doesn't suddenly turn into sandpaper. 😀Basically, as it wears, the sides get flatter and flatter, which means it can't track as well, which might lead to less high frequencies maybe uneven stereo balance etc. But it doesn't start wearing the vinyl more. In fact, possibly less. 😀(But don't quote me on that).
I can’t disagree with any of comments. I think mistakes were far easier to make in a pre internet age. Your peer group, your local record store and hi fi salesman were mostly your only source of information. Later, more accessible equipment reviews were available through hifi magazines. Today there is really no excuse for mistakes other than leaving your favourite records with an ex. Best, Pat
Cheers, Pat! I do often wonder how I made some of the decisions I made back i n the day. I was too shy to ask the hifi salesmen so I think I relied on magazine when I was young for information.
I absolutely loved that you didn’t care for Metallica, or Def Leppard for most of your impressionable years, there’s still hope you’ll come back to the sane side lol!
aparently shrink wraping can shrink even more over the years and can warp records so buying a 30 or 40 year old record still sealed could be a big mistake, and i never liked Def Lepard but they where on the same bill as Whitesnake actualy Whitesnake where the suport band realy enjoyed Whitesnake but after 3 Def Lepard songs we went to the Bar and got Drunk and i still do not like them 😊
I regret being a jerk about music I didn’t like, but I don’t regret not liking the music. The older I get the more I just want to shut up and keep my opinions to myself.
And yet, I still have my 70s “coin on the stylus” records, including several first pressing Beatles albums, and although they are trashed, I can’t seem to get rid of them. Too many good memories…😊
If it's used I don't care what it is I'm checking it., I don't care if it was something I was looking for all my life, if I find it and it doesn't look good? Then hey I still didn't find it yet.. I have plenty of money in the bank but that's how I keep it there. And I never had a problem after a breakup because I was the only one that brought records in all my relationships.
My biggest "mistake". Is that I listen to much on vinyl reviewers. 😂 That I sorurce and buy "that wonderfull" album.😮 Yeh it is all good and evrything but it is actually not in my genre of music!😢 So it sounds fine and I lern what OTHERS is apriciating and what they think sounds good.😅 But nothing that i really like and to my taste.😢 I disregard my own prefered genre of music!😢 One small reason is also when crate digging used LPs then it is also (of course) "older" recordings when my taste is more genre that is younger/later. I mean if you like mosart then you have heaps of LPs that has been recorded troughout many many decades. But if your genre of somthing newer and later genre then good luck with finding that as used LPs. Closer to 0.1% chance..😢 Yeh, I know I am looking in the wrong place and are to easely influenced.😢😂
The biggest mistake I see people making when they collect vinyl is buying the same tired music they've been listening to for 40 or more years. I'm a boomer and I can't believe how many people are hung up on the 70s and (putting on my deepest, FM-radio-est DJ voice) Classic Rock. It's tired and boring. Maybe instead of trying to figure out which pressing of Aja they should get next, they can figure out which post-millennium band they want to try on for size.
When I watch these record collector videos. I still find that most if not all of them like the same kind of music. Mostly Rock, some Jazz and Heavy Metal. Nobody likes Disco 🪩, R&B, Alternative or Electronic. No pun intended but, these videos are like a broken record. I will never like Metallica, Def Leopard or for that matter very much any kind of Rock Music. And I’m even older than you. 😢😢. I also buy a lot of vinyl still. Mostly Pop music. I have a vintage Marantz 6300 direct drive record player. The only record player I have ever owned. With a Shure M44-7 stylus. So my Disco music 🎼 of the 1970’s still sound great 👍.
Hi, my biggest mistake was selling part of my vinyl collection to buy CDs in the late eighties.
I know you’re not alone. 🍺Many of my friends did back then as well.
We all made the same mistake, it is part of life. You need to fail before winning.
your comment about sealed original pressings is so true.... burnt once never again
I was about to say the same thing. so true.
It's happened to me a few times - and I always say never again (until I do it again!)
@@TheJoyofVinylRecords the only time I did it again was a record that I already had( on CD). I purchased the sealed example stuck it on the shelf and there it will remain: A Schrodingers record.
@@MrAustrokiwi 😂😂😂Love that!
@@MrAustrokiwi This is the only reason I will buy a sealed record again. If I never plan to open it, then I will never find another broken or warped record. I actually purchased 2 sealed Ratt albums this weekend that were both damaged when I opened them. Big time bummer...
There are two legitimate reasons to add mass to a head shell
1/ With a very light cartridge it may not otherwise be possible to get the correct tracking force
2/ with lightweight tonearms and a low compliance cartridge extra mass can help. In this case it's not to add to tracking force, but to get the correct tonearm resonance otherwise the bass and tracking can be compromised.
I know the feeling I'm listening to bands now that I had absolutely no interest in when I was young
It must be nostalgia, Ray. I've been diving into bands I wouldn't have given the time of day to when I was younger.
@@TheJoyofVinylRecords Just bought two Oasis albums. They were so popular during my college years I ignored them. Now they remind me of college and I realise just how good they were.
I saw Captain Beefheart's Trout Mask Replica for 1$ and did not buy it. Eternal regrets.
Ahhh! The old coin on the head shell! LOL! I remember doing that in high school!! Thanks for the many tips! I always check my records, but the not buying sealed is a great perspective on the practice! I also was never a big fan of Metallica until more recently. Their black album got me interested and I now enjoy many of their older ones! Hope you are enjoying your summer!
It's been hot up here, Glenn! Not complaining as I always can't wait for the winter to end, but it's been sweltering and humid.
It was the Black Album that I bought her. She loved poking fun at me when she realized I enjoyed it.
@@TheJoyofVinylRecords Same here weather wise. In North western VT
Great advice. Perfect for new collectors. Good content. Thanks so much.
Thank you as well!
I totally get going to a record store, browsing, not buying and feeling like a bandit … it just feels wrong.
For me, the biggest mistake I could make would be to purchase a record just to purchase and own it but to then never really listen to it. I try to listen to at least one side of my records once a year.
I'm with you - I don't get that either. I'll only buy something I know I'll enjoy. 🍺
Your original take on Def Leppard was the correct one.
I went the opposite way. I loved def Leppard back in the day when I was 15 and Hysteria came out. Now i really don’t care for them at all. “High ‘n dry” is still a great album though and there are a couple of good songs on “Pyromania”.
I bought vinyl all through the 80s in the UK. The only sealed records I saw were imports, all the UK albums and 12"s were out on the shelves unsealed. Now I'm seeing sealed 80s albums up for sale. I'm assuming shops unsealed them as a matter of course and I visited many different shops every week independents, chain (HMV etc) and Woolworths, Boots and such.
Wow. I have to admit - I didn’t know Woolworth’s had a UK presence. We had one in our little town.
Thank you for this video! Not everything has to do with COLLECTING. There are other mistakes as being insecure about your musical preferences, buying a lot of records mainly because they are cheap, getting in the trap of serieses, listen to snobs with their „must haves“ (there is no such thing). Keep your collection classy and personal! - Greetings from Berlin, Harry
Cheers, Delius! And thank you for you comment 🍺
The greatest mistake most music lovers make is sticking to Anglo-American pop music and never looking beyond it.
Most? In my experience that's rare.
@@solidtank7957 There's your experience and there are charts, sales figures, magazines, statistics, etc.
Done exactly the same with coins on the cartridge back in the 80s. If only we knew then what we know now. 😂😂😂. Still, it all added to our experience.
However, the paradox is that back then more of them enjoyed music (even with coin on the cartridge) than today and sellers didn't want to sell us as much "audiophile" nonsense as they do today. Today, many people have forgotten how to enjoy music and they looking for faults in their hi-fi systems. But why could we enjoy listening when we were young, even if it was just a small transistor radio? We didn't cared about the bass, can you hear the cymbal, etc. OK I know today it's the same. You know that story when two dads philosophizing over a multi-ten thousand dollar hi-fi system if a power cable ($$$) should be replaced, while in the corner of the room their daughters are having a great time listening to music on their cell phones.
I miss my little red transistor radio with the bent antennae! I had years of pleasure as a kid listening to music with it.
It sure did! I still don't know how I learned to do that - must have read it somewhere back in the early 80s
Buy used record, not look at it, get home and find it's the wrong record in the sleeve.
How about this one? Bought a brand new album, sealed. correct label on record. not correct recording. completely different group! Years later( last month) went to play it. Forgot about the issue! LOL! was so mad. Now I need to find me a new copy of Styx-Pieces of Eight!
Been there - done that!
Wow - I wonder if that's worth something. Some mislabels are collector's items. That's a weird one.
@@TheJoyofVinylRecords The actual music is "The Best Of OMD" close to Styx! LOL!
I am glad I am not the only one. Bought the 2nd Its a beautiful day lp, examined the disk at the store, it was in great condition. Went to play it a few days later, it was a fairly rare BB King record. So be sure to check the label...
I'm 54 and for the "record", the first two records I ever bought with my 'own' money was Def Leppard - Pyromania and Quiet Riot - Metal Health; I still own them. It was what my friends and I were listening to. If I'm being very honest, my very first album was a gift I requested; Billy Joel - Glass Houses, but I was probably in the range of 10-12 and had not yet entered high school or discovered metal. In between those records, from my Uncle (my father's youngest brother) I received Back in Black, Zep IV and In through the Out Door. In high school, Motley Crue and eventually Iron Maiden would follow. Then the classic rock rabbit hole of Black Sabbath, Led Zep and The Doors. Grunge was my high water heyday. My listening is much more diverse these days; lots of indie, folk, rock (and all of the combo / derivations), jazz, metal, stoner rock, etc. All to say, at the time I to was terribly anti-80s sound and very judgmental of a lot of 80s music that wasn't hard rock. I still say much of it is plagued with 80s production but I've definitely since embraced some solid records and genres from back then that I wouldn't have at the time. Cheers!
I'm with you. 56 here and I couldn't stomach much of the music of the 80s back then. I was a 70s fan, and even enjoyed a lot of the alt rock of the 90s. Now I find myself looking back at the 80s with new ears and a bit of nostalgia and embracing some of it.
Re buying vintage sealed records: There are also vintage re-wraps of damaged records. I encountered a couple of those! I've been digitizing Exotica / Space-Age LPs from the 1950s and 1960s. An original sealed record is like a holy grail for me. When I do purchase a sealed record from Discogs or Ebay, as part of the purchase and after payment, I request that the seller open and inspect the LP before shipping it to me. That way if the record is damaged it saves us both the hassle of a return. If you're a collector who wants to keep the LP sealed, then that's a different story.
That's a great process. I should adopt that too. Thanks, Don!
My local record shop sells both new and used records. They have a bin for used records that were too damaged to sell at a higher price, all these records are $2 NZD. I bought a 3 records from the bin and all the records had small scratches that didn't effect playback or the recording itself. The only problem was sleeve damage which was fixable with a little bit of glue and chucking them in a sleeve held them together better. Very happy with my used record purchase.
Great to hear!!
Oh does the relationship part of your video hit home for me. I had a kick ass system and over 500 LP's back in the mid 80's to late 90's, and I was just starting to get into CD's. When I got divorced in 99, my ex had a lawyer and unfortunately I had an idiot, and the judge simply handed over my entire system and music collection to my ex for her "emotional support". It took me 10 years of searching and collecting, but I was finally able to recreate the system I had "back in the day". Marsh P2000 Preamp, Marsh A200S Amp, Bang and Olufsen B4002 Turntable, Nakamichi RX-303 cassette deck, playing through Martin Logan Sequel II electrostatic speakers. Perhaps my weakest link in the chain is my Akai 1730 reel to reel that I was able to hang onto. At the same time I've been building up my vinyl, reel to reel and cassette tape library, and while I still have a long way to go, my ears are happy once again.
I just found your channel and you have taught this old dog some new tricks and just wanted to say thanks for the ejimication. It's the simple things we can overlook that make big differences in the music we listen to.
If you're ever in Rochester NY check out The Record Archive. I can easily spend hours in there browsing.
That's a great system you managed to rebuild! Sorry you had to do that though. Does the Bang and Olufsen platter have that cool design it was famous for (the lines)?
And thanks for the tip about The Record Archive!
@@TheJoyofVinylRecords Yes it's very sleek and linear in design. Besides playing and sounding great it looks great. It had an issue with the tracking sensor, but there's a YT'er (Beolover) that3D prints an LED conversion kit to replace the old incandecent.
Haha that's funny. As you started off talking about the first or second mistake, it reminded me of putting the coin on the headshell of my turntables not knowing any better.
I just got back a week ago from Houston where I'm selling my dad's house down there. The house is a nice two-story four bedroom house, but it's more or less become a leftover storage place for family members that didn't take something with them as they moved through the years. Being legally blind, I can't exactly get down there very often and do a lot. I've been wanting to get down there for many years and try to find my 400 LPS that seemed to have disappeared. Personally, I think my sister threw most of them away when she lived In the house for about a year back about 10 years ago. Anyhow, I was able to find about 50 to 60 of my albums. I did not expect them to even play all the way through much less sound good. Being left in a house since the 1980s and then being in a unair-conditioned house (when nobody was living there) for decades ddn't leave me with much hope they would sound good. And didn't exactly take the best care of them in my teenage years because all you had to do was go buy another one if one got ruined. That mindset did not help me out. I was surprised that most of them are decent sounding with many of them sounding excellent still. The heat did not warp them. And about 20 of those LPs I found were laying flat and not standing up. I still can't believe they weren't just globs of melted wax.
But here's the kicker! When I found the Acoustic Research. AR-3 speakers I didn't even think were there anymore, along with some other high-end speakers my dad had bought and used with his McIntosh equipment, I brought those back. They definitely need some work because I know I blew the AR-3 woofer on one speaker back in the 1980s. I actually brought back eight speakers that were from the 1970s through early 1980s. They all need some work (except one pair) I'm sure as well as recapping and you name it. But to find those heavy, classic speakers down there was the icing on the cake.
If I had had half a brain back in the 1980s, I would not have been jamming on those speakers the way I did and I would not have blown any of them. Plus they would have been up here where I live today a long, long time ago.
The stupidity of our youth, I guess... 🙂
Brian in Fort Worth 🎶
Cheers Brian! A good friend of mine lives in the Fort Worth area - Roanoke.
I so wish I had the old equipment from the 80s. Back then if something was replaced the old one went to the dump. Kick myself for some of the things I tossed out - like old speakers, etc. That's awesome about the records you were able to bring back!
@@TheJoyofVinylRecords Roanoke is not far away from where I live at all. I know exactly where you're talking about as far as where the city is. It makes me cringe sometimes thinking back to what I did with old gear and things that I wish I had today haha. I guess every generation thinks back to what they would have done had they known when they were younger 🤔☺️
Lol! I think I've made most of those mistakes myself. Sharing these with everyone else will hopefully help the beginning collector. There's no wisdom without making and learning from mistakes. It's also part of the fun in this hobby.
And I make mistakes almost every week, Neil 😂😂😂
A visual inspection for warps, scratches on used records only goes so far, it depends on what needle/stylus is used by previous owner. A chipped one can give awful sound when played on a record.
Undoubtably we want to belong ,and that will veer you away from something you secretly liked ,but the group you were friends with, did not. Experience gives you confidence to be yourself.
As for sound, it matters what sounds a person is capable of hearing.
We all did the coin on headshell thing because we did not know better,we were just enjoying the music.
My own personal cringe was when I was raving about a good sounding record player. I turned on, put the record on and said to my friend listen to this sound.Turned up to maximum Welll the most tinny sound came out, and very low(cringe). My wife said" Are the headphones supposed to be plugged in" (double cringe.)
😂😂😂😂😂😂
My experience with Def Leppard is the same. I wasn't impressed as a teen, but now they are in my top 10 list.
Times and tastes change, don't they?
I did the penny on the tonearm too, never changed my stylus, and never even cleaned my records, quite glad I no longer own too many of the records I bought as a teenager 🙈🤦♀️
Had the relationship music collection splitting too, that was fun, only difference was it was a big cd collection, not vinyl 🥴
Ugh... even if it were cassette tapes, the pain is real 🍺
My biggest mistake was repairing album sleeves with strips of sellotape. I did this when I was a teenager, so many years later I've discovered the sellotape has come off leaving an ugly brown stain that I can do nothing about. Nowadays I use pritt stick.
I have to admit - I've done the same thing!
I was always good for $75 and a 9"-a foot tall stack of records at the local stores...
Used to be a store that had some records for $3, no inner sleeve that were in better shape than the titles I already owned...bought them, put sleeves in, life was good...
That's awesome. Cheers, Darryl 🍺🍺🍺
Sealed records from long ago. I've had good experiences and bad. Several years ago I bought a copy of Steely Dan's "Pretzel Logic" from 1974 on Amazon. Bad mistake. When I got it I could tell that the shrink wrap had shrunk. I couldn't even play it because it was so warped. I didn't send it back because of the headache. Have a good Sunday.
You as well, Stanley!
OMG #1 really speaks to me loll. I also feel guilty leaving a store without getting at least one album.
I too, early on, was not a metal or Metallica fan...until I saw them live at the ampitheatre in Raleigh, NC, back in about 94 or 95. That was it. That ended it! If you EVER get a chance to see them live, buy the ticket and take the ride. That is one of the top three or four live bands I have ever seen, and I'm 56 years old. I've seen hundreds of bands. Welcome to the club, finally!
They were actually up here in my neck of the woods at Gillette Stadium earlier this month I believe too. Maybe next time around - from one 56 year old to another, cheers 🍻
I'll only buy sealed records put out in the last 20 years. I've bought 40 or so and only had one problem. I've had more problems with new issues than that. Another mistake I've made a couple times is not check the label to see if its what's supposed to be the sleeve, I'd scan the condition and that's that. Oh and I'm new here, good stuff.
I remember taping pennies to the top of the stylus on my suitcase player when I was a kid. Funny thing is, those old beat up records no longer skip😆
😂😂😂
My first "big boy" system i bought in 1979 from Lafayette, speakers, receiver & TT. Cost me almost 1k which was big money and took me almost a year to pay off from layaway. I must have done something right because my vinyl survived relatively intact. Unfortunately, when i went in the Army, it was sold to a neighbor for about $500.00. I wish i still had it.
Yikes! I'm not sure how accurate this is, but had to look it up in today's dollars - $1000 in '79 would be about $4,530.96 in 2024
Took me a year to pay for it. I smelled like grass clippings and yardwork all summer. And shoveling snow all winter. I looked it up as well and couldn't believe it either.
Vintage gear is expensive for these exact reasons. But it was just great gear back then. Not too many toys were in the stereo shops back then, either.
“Catalog Knowledge” - believing and trusting marketing claims without due diligence. Biggest regret - well intentioned record care best practices that harmed records in the long run. I dream of a class action suit against Discwasher, Mobile Fidelity, and other brush and solution record cleaning products. They do more harm than good to this day! (Kids, never wet clean records without a vacuum or ultrasonic cavitation cleaning machine…)
I swear by the Record Doctor products and a distilled water rinse in the Spin-Clean after. I don;t miss those days of the Discwasher - and I used it religiously back in the 80s
My biggest mistakes include cleaning fluids - such as 1970's Disc Washer and Ball space age spray lubricant. The first would form into a gel, build up and drop on the LP and harden. The spray lubricant left an audible film - perhaps I didn't apply it correctly.
Yikes! That's a scary thought! I used to use the Disc Washer back in the day too.
im fairly new and made the first mistake on my first visit to a kind of open market of used vinyl, i bought 5 records and 2 were not having problems, i did kinda fix most of them but one was super warped and super damaged, and if i looked at it i would not buy it for sure... luckily my friends dad gave me the same record in perfect condition for free so i kinda got away with it, but now i know my mistakes and i will probably repeat it :D
I repeat my mistakes too, Petar. You're not alone.
Think I'm guilty of most of those too, except the coin on the tonearm, that's sacrilegious 😅
Awful isn't it? 😂😂😂
Another interesting video. Is there a definitive source or discography for pressings and recordings? I want to be more selective with the vinyl or I might as well stream. The other week someone demonstrated mono pressing and a stereo of the same song and the mono was so alive and breathing air and whetess the the stereo recording played directly after was lifeless and did not bring the music alive. I would like to collect some Billy Joel and was wondering which particular pressings would be good to look out for? I was told not to just buy off Amazon etc but to be more selective of the particular recording and edition etc
Hi Charles. Discogs.com is a great source for identifying a pressing, and probably the best one out there at the moment. It's not 100% accurate but it will help identify a very high percentage of what is out there. You can search for Billy Joel and drill down on the various pressings (there will be A LOT with reissues and all over the years, so it can be overwhelming). Comments from users can also assist in identifying decent pressings.
When I was a kid I had no clue what I was doing but the worse thing was waiting way too long to change my stylus.
Man … I did the same thing. Never thought about the stylus as a teenager
i would love to change my cartridge every year but at £3,200 that is beyond my reach. So a lesson learned is 'yes i can afford to buy it at the time but can i afford to regularly replace the cartridge even with a part exchange contract'?
I've run into that too. I'm not sure I can afford to replace the stylus this year as much as it pains me.
If you mean that you need to replace the whole cartridge on a MC cartridge because the diamond/stylus is worn?
There is stylus retipping services.
Just send it in and I guess that it should be more affordable than buying a new one!
Good luck!❤
@@AmazonasBiotop very kind suggestion and will investigate. Many thanks for the advice.
Back in the '70's, The Tonight Show's band leader Doc Severinsen advertised a product called Sound Guard that supposedly protected ones records against wearing out. I Sound Guarded all my favorite LPs from about 1976 onwards. It worked! Well, maybe. My old Wings, Genesis and The Jam LPs still sound great today. I can't be sure that just keeping them clean may have produced the same result. Side note-- there's no way in heck I would pay $65 for a used record (just buy the download) and I think that's the difference between a music lover and a record collector.
I just got burned this week on a used record that was sold as NM. I will say it wasn't the seller's fault. The record did look NM on the surface. I suspect it had substantial groove damage from being played on a bad setup for years.
Snobbery is sooo real
I made 2 big mistakes when getting back into buying vinyl
#1 bought records for a ridiculous amount money that I thought I could resell for more (not a single offer even at 50% discount)
#2 bought records I desperately wanted for a lot of money. I since then saw both types for under $5. There is no correlation between quality and price.
Well said, Gabor! Even with equipment there is no correlation between quality and price.
Your first instinct on Def Leppard was correct.
The only way to properly check a second hand album is PLAYING IT before you buy it. As most “damage” to albums is hard to see.
I have pristine looking (even with my iPhone flashlight on it) vinyl that sounds crap with noise, pops, clicks etc. and albums that have clear scratches or whatever that sound perfect @The Joy of Vinyl Records
Very true about groove damage. Had that happen to me recently. I constantly wish my local record shop had a listening station.
@@TheJoyofVinylRecords that is mandatory in my opinion when selling used vinyl.
I live in a relatively small town here in The Netherlands with about 100.000 people. Fortunately we have 5 excellent second hand (and new) vinyl stores and all have listening equipment.
Thank you!!! Learning something new everyday… ✌️🙃
Cheers 🍺
A big mistake I keep seeing in a record collectors group is buying very expensive new pressings and expensive reissues (most newbies) and then playing them on a cheap nasty system and then being told I’m a hardware SNOB! I’m 64 been buying records since I was 8, I def know what I’m doing and the only really stupid thing I’ve never done up till now is purchase a RECORD CLEANER! Recently got a SPINCARE and already am noticing a hell of a difference to old albums, even a 1958 Nat King Cole that my mother has sounded crisp and fresh amazing really…PLUS.. I’ve noticed much let crap being scrapped on my stylus.
The SpinCare will definitely bring old records to life!
My cartridge is a vintage Pickering with the original stylus. It came with the turntable that I bought used from a guy selling stuff for his dad, with no idea how much use it had. But I’ve kept it because it’s a very nice cartridge with a hard to find stylus. I’ve wanted to replace it, but can’t decide what route to take in doing so. What are your thoughts on aftermarket replacements for vintage styli versus getting an original stylus retipped?
Wow. That is a classic cart noted for its high quality. Jealous. I wouldn’t go the retip route but would instead replace it. I dont know particular Pickering you have but there are a few available aftermarket. If you can find a replacement that would be ideal.
@@TheJoyofVinylRecordsIt’s a Pickering XSV 3000 cart with a D3000 stylus! Best part? Got it and the turntable (a Pioneer PL-7) for only $90 total!
I’ll have to take a look at aftermarket options again. I’ve definitely seen them around. Just feels like a shame go from an original Pickering to a knockoff. But it’s probably cheaper, and less risk of losing/damaging my original by shipping it to a retipper!
@@Mr._Mints $90! That's amazing
Mistake #1 is sometimes hard to avoid. I am like you with decades of collecting and know what to do in a used record store but I always find the lighting inferior or just bad and inspection is hard to do. I still continue to get home with that used record and when I see it under my track lighting which is focused on my TT that’s when I see the issues. Most times it is just surface light scratches or maybe loads of dust but every now and then it’s worse. Thems the changes we take. Usually it’s only the $10 or less bunch so not too painful.
One thing I do know is when buying used 60’s , 70’s lps on quality old labels (Polygram, Capital, Decca) and others the record can look bad and yet play fine. Not true with newer pressings. Found an OG UK 1966 Jerry Lee Lewis “Live in Hamburg” from 64’ and it looked questionable but had that OG label so I brought it home. Wow sounds amazing and only slight sparkling ✨. I also use a mid level high end system so it picks up every thing.
I actually had a bad experience last week - looked great but had groove damage. 48 year old record. It fortunately inexpensive. You’re so right - it’s the chance we take.
I keep one of those small olight flash lights on my key chain. If a record looks good under the store lights I hit it with the flashlight. Sometimes fingerprints, scuffs and scratches appear that were not visible.
Greetings ☕️
Yup,if you’ve been in this game (it’s been a looong time for moi’) you’ll eventually come across everything you’ve stated .
You and yours have a great weekend 🍻
You as well Carmine! Cheers 🍺
DUDE, I used to buy doubles and keep 1 sealed. I started to open some of my 30+ year old sealed records and they had mold and had to be thrown away...
Damn! That's crazy. Sorry to hear, Anthony. Any idea what might have happened?
I love feeling like I am not the only one that made innocent, but costly mistakes over the last 40 years of my vinyl collecting journey.
LOL - you definitely aren't the only one. I collect mistakes like I do gray hairs.
up until 3 purchases ago i've thrown out the hype stickers
The terminology surrounding music formats has always fascinated me. Specifically, I've often wondered why people insist on saying 'vinyl records' when, in fact, the correct term is simply 'records.' The addition of 'vinyl' seems redundant, as if clarifying the material composition of the medium is necessary. But when did this linguistic trend begin? Was it a marketing ploy to distinguish analog from digital formats? Whatever the reason, I find it quite curious that we've adopted this phraseology. For me, it's simply a record - a timeless vessel for music that transcends the need for extraneous descriptors.
Good question. I have no idea. I grew up calling them records too. I use it now when writing so it’s easier to find it online if someone searches for it”vinyl records”.
Could be a good topic for a video
@@andrewneale3266 Yes!
@@TheJoyofVinylRecords well 1) records have been made of other materials (eg shellac) and 2) the term record has on-and-off been used to refer to albums/singles (eg 'have you heard their new record' 'yeah I bought the cd'). & it's not like albums really come as a set of discs in book form anymore, but that term stuck around
That breakup thing can be harsh.
Yep!
My favorite Def Leppard song is Let It Go. It's a mighty tasty riff.
I'm a late-in-life convert. Better late to the party than not at all. 🍺
I am a huge 80's music collector. Own about 60% of 80's Top artists on CD and own 80% of Billboard singles on 45 RPM format. I can relate to the fact that some bands I disliked when I was younger but now I do love them. I do own every single album released by a lot of 80's bands, even if the album is not from the 80's decade. Am I crazy? Maybe! Lololol
I am wondering if you Use The CQ wireing setup. if not and you find your self hearing scratches and pops. The Cq or quad wireing setup will make you realize that most of what you thought/think of as mistakes are not really a mistake. all you need to do is swap your red/ wire wire your choice of wire and move the ground wires tho that channel. I connect both Ground/Negative wires together that way, you can /I can just move them together in one. you will take notice that there is an empty channel on mono tracks. which holds the Scratches pops, and etc. you can then edit out or keep the empty track. I often keep a copy of both so that way if somneone wants to hear what I have for evidence in what I have as for proof. I can show them.
I change out my stulus these days, every Lp or Sis 45 rpms records this depends on if I copy/play bth sides of the disks.
another item to consider, : what turntable and stylus you use. the Zenith 2g Can wear slower than a Pyle PLTTB1. IE the AT -95E stylus upgrade vs stock.
I never look at what pressings a person buys as a mistake. I just, wonder why New pressings are not pressed as they used to be pressed! the sound has gone from the once known sound to....
NM... vs Sealed? I buy Sealed disks once in A blue moon... like one every Ten Years! Mike Kenedys Louisiana Lp and andy Kim's : How'd we ever get this way.
It's a curse isn't it?
Near my house there’s a Record Store and I always buy Used Records it’s mostly prog rock i buy like - Black Oak Arkansas - - Badger - - Budgie - - April Wine - etc… and I look at them before buying them and they looked brand new not a scratch or fingerprint nothing and I’m like “ this is used ? “
Sound like a great record store, Adrian. Great music choices too!
Late 80s I Traded The DKs Orange Fresh Fruit 4 Rotting Vegatebles Album 🤪 The Next Day I Traded it Back After I Found Out It's History.
🤣🤣🤣
Yep. I used to be a 'snob'. If everyone else loved something, I wouldn't listen to it. The same went for TV shows. I figured it wasn't worth my while. Now, I look back and realize that (in some cases anyway) the reason 'everyone else liked it' was because it really was good! (DUH)
AND, the sealed VS near mint: You are absolutely correct. A NM record means someone has at least looked at it. Or even played it once. I recently purchased a 52 year old record in a Thrift Store that was still sealed. (YAY!) I got it home and debated on opening it or not. It wasn't valuable, I just hesitated. Eventually I relented and opened it. Don't you know that there was a scrap of paper pressed into track 2 on the second side, making it unplayable. UGH! Lesson learned, sealed is NOT always better. And in this case I couldn't just bring it back and get another (unless I invented a time machine first of course).
If you do invent that time machine let me know. There's a bunch of things I want to do with it 😂
And I was the exactly the same with TV shows. To this day I've never watched the X Files because everybody else was so I assumed it had to be bland. I now know I was wrong, but I have yet to go back to watch it.
@@TheJoyofVinylRecords OMG, X-Files! Hah! I was exactly opposite. I really got into that show when it first came out on the recommendation of a co-worker. I really loved it until it became popular, and it was huge. That's when I stopped watching because of course, they started to make episodes to please the general population, and I thought it got ridiculous.
My 'show that I never watched because it was popular' is Seinfeld. Everyone raved about it and told me it was right up my alley as far as humor goes. Never watched it. Ever. But lately my wife has been watching reruns and I have to admit, that, yep, I missed out on a pretty funny show, and probably would have had fun discussing the episodes at work the next day.
Live and learn I guess.
@@WingManDan55 I still kick myself on my attitude over the years 😂😂😂
I agree with you on the Metallica Rick, I thought I was the only one 😅
Nope - looks like we are a 2 person club 😂😂
But diamonds are forever! I have to start keeping a stylus log. I usually try to do it once a year, as well.
Thankfully, I have never had to mix my record collection with a girlfriend's. The perks of being unattractive, haha.
The funny thing about Def Leppard is you were not the only collector passing over them. Remember when those were plentiful dollar-bin records? I should've scooped them up. I have come to like them a lot more listening to Joe Elliot's excellent SiriusXM show.
I didn't realize he had a show! And yeah - the dollar bins😂. You were always sure to find Pyromania on High N Dry in them at one time.
I have wasted way to much money on used albums that I have inspected before buying that were borderline and took a chance on. Also if the cover is bad, won't buy it anymore.
Has to be in near mint minimum and a decent cover for me as now.
My wife loves going to record stores and will bring me a stack that I have to go through each one and cull out the bad ones, can't really complain, but its a pain sometimes.
That's sweet of her. My son will sometimes run across records at a yard sale somewhere and send me pictures to see if there's anything I want him to grab. I usually decline not being able to inspect them personally, but , like you with your wife, I really appreciate the thought 🍺
Do you have a first press Hysteria yet? I’ve bought a few and have a spare.
I don’t! I have the reissue but would rather have a first press any day
I made the mother of all embarrassing mistakes. I left behind 2 sealed copies of The Beatles and Frank Ifield with the Beatles on the cover in the late 1970s. $5 each. Someone else bought it. They sold for $40K each. I think about it every day. Can't figure it out to this day.
Oh no!! That would haunt me as well.
GREAT VIDEO, WELL SAID.👍
Thank you, Stan!
Those Pyromania prices are ridiculous.
My mistakes:
-- I always chased sound quality, but did not know that no two pressings sound exactly the same. And in many cases, the sound quality can vary wildly.
Growing up, there was no eBay or discogs, etc. So I would go into Korvettes or Sam Goody, and purchase what they had. Those were my only choices. There was no where, locally, to purchase used records.
I saw the imprinted scribbling in the wax on the run-off section of the record (between the last song and the label). I did not give it much thought, because there was no one to ask.
So I made mistakes, owning mostly lousy sounding pressings. But what other choice did I have?
To a significant degree, finding great sounding pressings is still an ordeal. I find visual gradings by the sellers to not be much help, because it is impossible to see how a record will sound. Of course, you can see when a record is a mess. But any shiny, clean record can sound amazing or can sound lifeless. Two visually mint records can sound completely different. In fact, side 1 can sound heavenly, and side 2 can sound dull -- on a single pressing.
-- I never dialed in the tone-arm or cartridge on my Technics' turntable. It was pre-installed by the store. As far as I was concerned, nothing else was necessary. I knew that adjustments could be made. But I neither realized how important those adjustments were, and I assumed that the manufacturer (or store personnel) knew what they were doing.
Even with the above issues, I loved every minute of my records -- all of them, playing them on my Sony receiver with my turntable that was probably not dialed in too good.
Now, I find it tormenting to listen to anything other than excellent sounding pressings. That curse has left me with a rather small record collection.
But the best of my collection raises the hair on the back of my neck.
I think I had more fun when I did not know any better. But when I listen to my best sounding pressings, it is heavenly.
For people that spend a briefcase of cash on a turntable, tone-arm, cartridge, phono-amp, and the rest... you are getting only 50% to perhaps 80% of your stereo's potential. With the hard to find amazing sounding pressings, your stereo will sound like never before. But then you might be doomed like I am.
I forgot to mention:
In the past 15 years, I wasted money on heavy vinyl and half speed masters. It is all marketing gimmicky. I have never heard one that sounds right. All of my best sounding pressings are normal weight, regular pressings. And when I speak to the other audio enthusiasts at my local high-end store, they agree.
I have to agree on the marketing. I half a few half speed masters and not one really wows me. A great, well-cared for old pressing will always sound better.
What a great video. I am new to your channel and I enjoyed it. I have always had a very good experience buying vinyl on ebay. Never had any issues except within the last six months or so. This has happened to me a lot on ebay lately and the issue is this. I always look for albums that are in VG+ cndition or mint or near mitn on ebay. And I have maybe bought about 13 records since the beginning of the year. The seller says VG+ or Mint in the listing. So, I say gret I will buy it. So, I receive the record in the mail and guess what???? The Record is not VG+, near mint or mint, it is good. All I hear is a ton of pops, clicks and static and crackly noises, so I contact the seller and if the record can be returned, I return it which is great, but, this has been happening all the time in the past 6 months, so I put a hault on buying anymore, because it is very frustrating. I wonder if there are others that this has happened too. Especially when a seller says, Visually graded" I won't buy it because a record that looks mint to the naked eye does not mean it is, You have to play it to find out.
Hi Richard! Just had it happen to me this week. I bought what was supposed to be NM from a seller. Good seller and I'm not blaming them - the record looked really good. But when played it was horrible. Must have been groove damage from the past - the record was 45 years old. Another record last week was listed as NM - not sure what they were thinking - even visually inspected it was VG at best. C'est la vie.... 🍺
3,35/hr... yeah, that was my first pay in 1981. Still, there were records to buy!
So crazy right???
I will buy $3 garage sale vinyl and bring them right out of the bad into the good and I'm happy with them.
I’m 62. I hated Metallica until recently. Now I regret all these years of not wanting to give the LPs a spin. As the coin on the stylus cartilage goes, us older people have done it multiple times.
😂😂😂. we sure have!
If I am buying used records and don't care how they sound do you still inspect them? I don't, but now I am wondering if I should. The stores I go to I know the owners and they are cool guys who are as passionate about records as me.
I do inspect them all, My big concern with not doing so (sound aside) is the chance of it being extremely dirty and damaging my stylus if I didn't at least clean them.
Many shops don't have decent lighting. Use your phone's flashlight function.
Good advice!
Same. Havent listened to much or bought Metallica. Though i have seen Until it Sleeps on a heroic dose ×3.
I "never" buy a used record without looking it over good first. No matter "what" the cost.
For me the biggest mistake is lending&borrowing vinyls. Ask me how I know! The same goes for CDs, cassettes and reel tapes!
That’s happened to me too 😢
Anything you did that seems stupid or ignorant before the internet was around needs to be taken with a grain of salt. Knowledge was so much harder to come by in those days!
I sometimes wonder how I got by at all 😂😂😂
Why are you surprised records last long when you don't change the stylus? When the diamond wears down, it doesn't suddenly turn into sandpaper. 😀Basically, as it wears, the sides get flatter and flatter, which means it can't track as well, which might lead to less high frequencies maybe uneven stereo balance etc. But it doesn't start wearing the vinyl more. In fact, possibly less. 😀(But don't quote me on that).
Back in the 60s and the 70s when you put a coin on a stylus it was because you couldn't change the stylist.
My partner and I keep our records separate because we mostly- have dissimilar tastes.
I can’t disagree with any of comments. I think mistakes were far easier to make in a pre internet age. Your peer group, your local record store and hi fi salesman were mostly your only source of information. Later, more accessible equipment reviews were available through hifi magazines. Today there is really no excuse for mistakes other than leaving your favourite records with an ex. Best, Pat
Cheers, Pat! I do often wonder how I made some of the decisions I made back i n the day. I was too shy to ask the hifi salesmen so I think I relied on magazine when I was young for information.
I absolutely loved that you didn’t care for Metallica, or Def Leppard for most of your impressionable years, there’s still hope you’ll come back to the sane side lol!
When I do, let it be our little secret. My wife won't be thrilled 😂😂😂
aparently shrink wraping can shrink even more over the years and can warp records so buying a 30 or 40 year old record still sealed could be a big mistake, and i never liked Def Lepard but they where on the same bill as Whitesnake actualy Whitesnake where the suport band realy enjoyed Whitesnake but after 3 Def Lepard songs we went to the Bar and got Drunk and i still do not like them 😊
😂😂😂 They didn't pass the drunk test
I regret being a jerk about music I didn’t like, but I don’t regret not liking the music. The older I get the more I just want to shut up and keep my opinions to myself.
Words to live by. I find myself biting my tongue more than I used tom🍺
Biggest mistake I have done, not once but twice: leaving several vinyls in a car under the sun! Don’t do that, be very careful
Good advice !
My biggest mistake - buying any vinyl manufactured post 1985 - digital trash. Selling the lot of it now.
1: Starting! 😂
My ex kept the Hifi system …..:-)
Yikes!
👍Good! A system is replaceable, some recordings are not!
yup did every one of those with very few records not survive teen... '70s to today
And yet, I still have my 70s “coin on the stylus” records, including several first pressing Beatles albums, and although they are trashed, I can’t seem to get rid of them. Too many good memories…😊
If it's used I don't care what it is I'm checking it., I don't care if it was something I was looking for all my life, if I find it and it doesn't look good? Then hey I still didn't find it yet.. I have plenty of money in the bank but that's how I keep it there. And I never had a problem after a breakup because I was the only one that brought records in all my relationships.
I have 12k vinyl records but don't like Def Leppard OR Metallica, and have but one album by the former & zero by the latter. Don't sweat it.
Cheers 🍻
I don't "collect" records. I purchase records to listen to. I bought all my records in the 60's and 70's and don't need to purchase new ones.
Not buying CDs? Ha! just kidding. Vinyl rocks!
The biggest mistake is they're not on CD 😆👎
🤣Thankfully not!😂
My biggest "mistake".
Is that I listen to much on vinyl reviewers. 😂
That I sorurce and buy "that wonderfull" album.😮
Yeh it is all good and evrything but it is actually not in my genre of music!😢
So it sounds fine and I lern what OTHERS is apriciating and what they think sounds good.😅
But nothing that i really like and to my taste.😢
I disregard my own prefered genre of music!😢
One small reason is also when crate digging used LPs then it is also (of course) "older" recordings when my taste is more genre that is younger/later.
I mean if you like mosart then you have heaps of LPs that has been recorded troughout many many decades.
But if your genre of somthing newer and later genre then good luck with finding that as used LPs.
Closer to 0.1% chance..😢
Yeh, I know I am looking in the wrong place and are to easely influenced.😢😂
well, good thing is these mistakes are not the end of the world if you make them and most can be easily corrected.
Very true, William!
I never mix my collection with a girlfriends lol I usually won’t even let her touch my records or cds lol shit, music lasts forever 😂😂😂
You are a wise man 🍺🍺🍺
The biggest mistake I see people making when they collect vinyl is buying the same tired music they've been listening to for 40 or more years.
I'm a boomer and I can't believe how many people are hung up on the 70s and (putting on my deepest, FM-radio-est DJ voice) Classic Rock.
It's tired and boring.
Maybe instead of trying to figure out which pressing of Aja they should get next, they can figure out which post-millennium band they want to try on for size.
my wife doesn't care about vinyl, so no problem with #3 for me. ;)
😂😂😂
When I watch these record collector videos. I still find that most if not all of them like the same kind of music. Mostly Rock, some Jazz and Heavy Metal. Nobody likes Disco 🪩, R&B, Alternative or Electronic. No pun intended but, these videos are like a broken record. I will never like Metallica, Def Leopard or for that matter very much any kind of Rock Music. And I’m even older than you. 😢😢. I also buy a lot of vinyl still. Mostly Pop music. I have a vintage Marantz 6300 direct drive record player. The only record player I have ever owned. With a Shure M44-7 stylus. So my Disco music 🎼 of the 1970’s still sound great 👍.
" like a broken record..." even if it wasn't intended it was a good pun.
It’s not cringe worthy to have taped a coin to your cartridge back in the day it’s just how things were done back then 😂
So true - I still can't help thinking about what I did to those poor records 😂😂😂
Buying the Wiggles or Sesame Street.
🤣🤣